No More Learning

At or soon after the time when St. Maidoc returned to Ireland, a very
able and powerful provincial king ruled over Leinster. 39 He is called Bran
Dubh, the son of Eochaidh. 4° How early his reign commenced over the
Lagenians does not appear to be very clearly defined, although it is said to
have lasted ^ thirty years. ''
However,
in the we find he year 586,*^ stated,43
the stratagem, which gained the battle over that Monarch of Ireland, and he favoured Brandubh, King of Leinster, who resisted the unjust aggressor, as noticed in the "Borumha Laighean. " See Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves' " Martyrology of Done- gal," pp. icxD, loi. Also Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 218 to 221.
39 The Annals of Tigemach place the death of Aedus Cerr {i. e. , Acer), son of Colman, King of Leinster, at A. D. 596. Brandubh, the son of Each, is made his successor at the same date. See Dr. O'Conor's "Rerum Hibernicarum Scrip- tores," tom. ii. , p. 159.
p. 277. For this statement, he quotes the
" Menologic Sanctilogy," chap. xx. See n. 12, ibid.
33 It does not appear to have occurred to any writer, that there might have been only one Maidoc here, although the genealogists and calendarists give a difference of ancestry, of place and of festival for St. Maidoc of Ferns and for St. Maidoc of Clonmore.
3* According to another account, I find that St Maidoc of Ferns was venerated at Ross Inbher, in the county of Leitrim,
already stated at the 5th of January the feast day for St. MacCoge, of Rosinver, county of Leitrim.
3S Mr. John M'Call places it in the county of Wexford. Here it is noted, St. Maidoc of Ferns was, at that time when the battle of Dunbolg, not far from Dunlavin, in the county of Wicklow, had been fought.
3* Colgan thinks his feast occurs on the 15th of March, where notices of him will be found.
3'' He was sovereign of Ireland and died
in598. Thereisagooddealofuncertainty, as to the year of his accession. If the date of the Convention of Druimceatt given in the "Annals of Ulster" be correct, he was sovereign before 575.
3^ He is said to have been a uterine or half-brotherofKingAedh; yetheplanned
"mAe'ohog 6 i:ei\n4m6i|\, o Tloff 1nbe]^
o T)|\uim teAuhAn. " H. lO, 129 a. This
note is found in Wm. M. Hennessy's copy
of the Donegal Martyrology, added to the
account of St. Maedhog. But to the writer,
it seems clear, that St. Aidan, Mogue, son to ^ngus, son of Feidlimidh, son to Moeg or Mac Coge, of Rosinver, must be Enna Kennselach, from whom the Hy-Kin- distinguished from St. Maidoc, of Ferns. sellagh family had its origin. This latter The reader is referred to what has —been
4° This Eochaidh was son of Muredach,
prince successfully contended against
of Ireland, from A. D. 353 to 360, according to O'Mahony's Keating's "History of Ire-
Eochaidh Muigh-Medoin, fArd-Righ
land," book i. , part ii. , chap, vii. , pp. 368, 369, and book ii. , part i. , chap, i. , p. 466.
^' According to the computation of the UlsterAnnals. Followingsuchacalcula- tion he must have began it, A. D. 574, as his reignisbroughttoacloseatA. D. 604. See "Annales Ultonienses. " Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tom. iv. , p. 36.
4» Tigemach places the accession of Aedh,
son of Ainmire to the throne of Ireland in "
this year. See Tigernachi Annales," ibid. , tom. ii. , p. 157-
<3 By the Four Masters, whose chronology is usually reliable.
544 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 31.
gained a battle over the Ui-Neill on the southern side of the hill of Cloncurry,
in the plain known as Magh-Ochtair. ** Again, in the year 592'*5 or 593,''^ or at a later period/7 as some accounts have it, he obtained a victory over
Cumuscach, son to King Aedh Mac Anmirech, at Dunboyke''^ in the parish ofHollywood,countyofWicklow. Th—isresultedinthedeathofCumuscach.
The — a. d. following year 593'^^'
or
to other authorities
594^° according 597^^
Aedh, Monarch of Ireland, marching to avenge the death of his son, was himself defeated and slain,53 by Brandubh, in the battle of Dun- bolg. s4 The King of Leinster afterwards collected an army, with which he
or 59852
marched northwards, and in a. d. 597, he appears to have over-ran East "
Meath, delivering his sword-blows" in Bregia or Magh Breagh. ss Not- withstanding, his victorious career was brought to a premature issue in a. d.
6oi,s<5 or 604,57 or 605,5^ when the Ui-NeiU, his persistent enemies, gained the battle of Slaibhre over him ; and that very same year he was treacher- ously killed by the Airchinneachss of Senboithe,^ and by his o^vn tribe. ^^
The life of St. Maidoc is very unsatisfactory, owing to its inexact chrono-
logical array of statements ; but probably from the previous data, we may very closely arrive at the period, when the monastery of Ferns^^ had been firstfounded. ThatKingBrandubh^3wasamunificentpatronofMaidoc seems to be thoroughly well established. ^^ Now it is most likely, that in the earlier part of his reign, he must have given that land, on which Maidoc founded his establishment, and most probably soon after the saint's return
<* This battle the Ulster Annals place at
A. D. 589.
<s See " Annales Inisfalenses," p. 9.
** See *' Annales iv. Magistrorum," pp.
59 Dr. O' Conor tells us, that some think
"
this word, or its equivalent
to have been derived from " Archidiaconus. " This seems to have been an office of a mixed kind, partly ecclesiastical and partly civil. They were not ordained as deacons to have a part in sacred ministrations. They were
merely laics, who by hereditary right ma- 597, p. 160. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's naged ecclesiastical lands and religious es-
" Rerum Hibemicarum Scriptores," torn, ii. , torn, iii. , and torn. iv.
'^ Some popular traditions regarding this
event are yet preserved.
*9 See "Annales Inisfalenses," torn, ii. ,
p. 9.
5° See the "Annales iv. Magistrorum,
176, 177.
<7 The "Annales Ultonienses,
"
assign the victory of Brandubh to A. D. 596, p. 33. The "Tigemaci Annales" place it at a. d.
torn, iii. , pp. 177, 178.
5' See Annales Ultonienses," torn, iv. ,
P- 34-
5^ See " Tigemaci Annales," tom. ii. , pp.
160, i6x.
S3 A brief account of this transaction is to
be seen in Mrs. M. C. Ferguson's "Story of
the Irish before the Conquest," chap, vii. ,
p. 203.
5* This is rendered "fort of the Belgse,"
ss See "Annales iv. Magistrorum," tom. iii. , p. 180.
of the cill'-churches, whether they had or had not taken protection, were ex-
empt from the liability of supplying food, and from liability on account of kinsmen. "The Book of Aicill. " Edited by Rev.
Thaddeus O'Mahony and Alexander George "
5* See " Annales iv. iii. , pp. 185, 186.
Magistrorum,"
tom.
the Ulster and Annals,
"Feama" is " Anglicized
by Tigemach, by
by those of the Four Masters. See Rev. C. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibemicarum Scrip- tores," tom. ii. , iii. , iv,
Alderground. " See his paper " On Some Ecclesiastical
Bells," &c.
*3 The equivalent of his name in English is "the black crow. " See "Annales it.
Magistroram," tom. iii. , p. 185.
*"" Forbes ' ' On the success Bishop says,
of his half-brother, King Brandubh, he had Ferns assigned to him as a see. "—" Kalen- dars of Scottish Saints," p. 403. This re- lationship, however, did not exist, as an ex- amination of the Genealogies will prove.
S7 See "Annales Ultonienses," tom. iv. , p. 36.
^ See "Tigemaci Annales," tom. ii. , pp. 178, 179.
tablishments or hospitals. See ' ' Rerum Hibemicarum Scriptores," tom. iv. , n. 2, PP- 36, 37-
^ His slayer is called Saranus, manus
rubrse, by the Four Masters, S-a^aii ]-Aeb-
oe]\c, by Tigemach, and Saran Saebderg, in the Annals of Ulster.
^' We leam that the " Airchinnechs" "'
Richey. See Ancient Laws of Ireland," vol. iii. , p. 113.
*^
By the Rev. William Reeves the name
Oircinneach,"
January 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 545
from the south of Ireland. It appears irreconcilable, with the busy occupa- tion of those wars in which he was engaged towards the close of life, and from some casual allusions to Brandubh in our saint's acts, to suppose, that Ferns monastery had not been built some years before the close of the sixth century.
^s Even after this building and occupation took place, a town or city gradually grew up near it, and this caused Brandubh to intend its subse- quent precedence over Sletty, which since the time of St. Fiech^^ had been regarded as the chief ecclesiastical see in Leinster. Hence, perhaps, about A. D. 570 we may regard the foundation of the church at Ferns^7 as having been laid. Maidoc was certainly the first bishop over this see. ^^
When this saintly superior had erected a noble monastery at Femas, or Guerwin, as Ricemare calls it, the experienced director collected together some disciples, and proposed to them a state of life formed on the rule and observanceofholyDavid. ^9 Itappearsreconcilablewithprobability,that St. Scuthinus7° was one of those, before he founded for himself a religious establishment at Tascoffin. 7' At Ferns, the holy superior led a most per- fect life, giving edification, not only to his brethren in the monastery, but to extems. While here, too, his life was characterized by the performance of several miracles. ? ^ When Maidoc was engaged in building Ferns monas- tery, his disciples complained to him that no water could be found in the place. He told them to cut down a certain tree, which stood before him, and he promised, that a clear fountain should spring up, on the spot. His orders having been obeyed, a well of pure water was found substituted for the fallen tree, and this spring was afterwards called Tiobrad Moedoc. 73 Certain women were accustomed to visit a rivulet, flowing from this fountain, for the purpose of washing their garments. A man in humble circumstances named Beec, had a place of residence, near our saint's monastery ; and his fieldextendedtothebanksoftherivuletalreadymentioned. Maidocre- quested the women not to come so near his monastery, but they refused to attend to his injunctions, asserting they had a right to act as they did, not having intruded on any portion of his ecclesiastical property. A daughter
of Beec ranked among the number of these recusants. She was engaged at the time washing garments, which she pressed beneath her feet. At length these were found firmly fastened to the clothes, which could not be removed
from the spot, on which they rested.
Thus she became immovable as a
^ See Rev. S. " Lives o Baring-Gould's
the Saints," vol. i. , January xxxi. , p. 468. "
*5 In the
appendix
to the Dublin edition
of the Rev. Alban Butler's "Lives of the
Fathers, Martyrs and other Principal
*' See Giraldus Cambrensis' Opera," ""
Saints, published in 1802, a strange ana-
chronism seems to be admitted, viz. : that
the present saint was consecrated Bishop of
Ferns about a. d. 598, that he was bishop
there about fifty years, and that he died
January 31st, A. D. 632. It is evident that
such computation must leave him only thirty-
four a See '* A Chrono- years bishop.
edited by J. S. Brewer, vol. iii. Historia de Vita S. Davidis Menevensis Archiepis- copi," lect. v. , sec. 2, p. 391.
^° See ibid. , p. 392. An inference fairly deducible from the anecdote there related.
? ' See his Life at the 2nd of January,
7' Many accounts regarding him are to be
considered as which accu- fables, probably
mulated in process of time, before his life was committed to writing in the twelfth century. See Rev. S. Baring-Gould's
"
"Lives of the Saints, January xxxi. , pp.
"
Maidoc's foun- 20. It is partly in the barony of Gorey and tain. " This is probably the St. Mogue's
logical Table of the Prelates of Ireland," &c. , vol. vi. , p. 394.
"
" See his Life at the 1 2th of October.
*' The parish of Ferns is shown on the Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Wexford," Sheets 10, 11, 15, 16,
467, 468.
73 it may be Anglicized
partly in that of Scarawalsh. The town,
its antiquities, and surrounding objects of beauty and interest are to be seen on Sheet
15'
Vol. I. 3N
Well, popularly said to have been sunk by St. Moling, his successor in the see, as we
"
learn from Lewis'
Topographical Diction- ary of Ireland," vol. i. , p. 626.
546 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 31.
statue, to her great surprise and terror. Hearing of the condition in which she had been placed, her father came to St. Maidoc, and humbly requested her release. On thus praying, the woman was set at liberty, and in gratitude for such a favour, her father presented himself, his posterity, and possessions, as an offering to God, and to St. Maidoc. A herdsman, living near the monastery of Ferns, whose mother had been seized with a grievous sickness, came to obtain blessed water from St. Maidoc. Then, he requested this holy bishop to visit the woman, who lay at the point of death. Going before the bishop, and entering that house, the herdsman found his mother already
" Do not yourself to any further trouble, O holy saint, for my mother has died. "
and tell that she shall come to salute your mother,
dead. to the servant of Immediately returning
God,
he
said,
put
Maidoc " replied :
Go,
me. " Obedienttothesaint'smandate,themancriedtohisdeceasedparent,
that Bishop Maidoc summoned her to him. Immediately she arose, as if
from a profound sleep, and giving thanks to God, she went forth to meet
his holy servant. 74 Such were the popular traditions, regarding his power and miracles, which survived his translation to the kingdom of heaven.
CHAPTER IV.
MOUNT LEINSTER AND TEMPLESHANBO—MAIDOC APPEASES A HUNGRY WOLF—THE INVASIONS OF LEINSTER BY CUMUSCAGH AND THE MONARCH AEDH—ACCOUNT OF MAIDOC'S INTERVENTION—THE SAINT'S SOJOURN AT CLUAIN DICHOLLA GAIRBIR— KING BRANDUBH's CHARITY AND HIS REMARKABLE VISION—HIS LARGESSES BE- STOWED ON ST. MAIDOC—A SYNOD CONVOKED AT FERNS—MEMORANDA OF THIS CITY—MAIDOC'S VISIT TO THE MONASTERY OF ST. FINTAN MUNNU—OUR SAINT'S RETURN TO ST. DAVID—MAIDOC'S FAST OF FORTY DAYS, AND HIS PETITIONS OFFERED TO THE ALMIGHTY.
The dark and lofty mountain, formerly known as Stuagh Laighean^ by the Irish,= and Latinized " Sessio Lageniensium,"3 is now denominated Mount Leinster. 4 It rises on the western confines of the county of Wexford, while along its slopes and towards the River Barrow, lies the county of Carlow. s In the time of St. Maidoc, a monastery^ stood at its foot, and bearing east-
74 Colgan's "Acta Sanctoram Hibemiae," xxxi. Januarii. VitaS. Maidoci,cap. xxxi. ,
nomination derived from the circumstance of its being selected by the Lagenians, as a place for meetings. From it, on a clear day, they could view the greater part of their province.
4 '<
one of Patrick Kennedy's first published works of fiction. Its racy, agreeable style
and
P- 211. —' Chap. iv.
In Colgan's life of our saint, it is called Suighe Lagin, or Suidhe Lai-
"
It means the " or " the pinnacle,"
'I
At the Royal Oak, in the county of
The Legends of Mount Leinster" was
ghean.
highest point of Leinster.
— the Kilkenny,
to say
peasantry
were accustomed
matter at once established the author's
:
fame in literary circles, as holding a fore-
ScuAJ LAijeAn Aguf Scuaj leicsliriti ^n •OA rcuAj i-p Ay^OQ A n-eit\inn
OA Tn-bei'oeA-o c«iApAiciti b^xeAriAiU Ai|\ fcUAj leicjlmn.
3 This may be rendered into English,
"the sitting," or "sitting place of the Lagenians. " In the Latin life of St. IMogue,
"" preserved in the Codex Kilkenniensis, it
ls thus named. In all probability its de-
s inthe "Bookof "fol. Glendalough,
most rank among genuine Irish story-tellers.
23, a. b. , there is an Irish poem on Mount Leinster. It has been copied by Eugene
O'Curry, and this portion may be seen in "
the Ordnance Survey County Wexford
Extracts," vol. i. , p. 427.
* It was situated in the diocese of Ferns.
Here St. Colman Hua Fiachrach was vene- rated. His feast falls on the 27th of Ge- tober.
January 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 547
wards from it : this was anciently called Sean Botha^ or Senboithe Sine. ^ The modem name for it is Templeshanbo. 9 This parish is situated in the western extremity of Scarawalsh barony ; but it seems difficult to give its
its extent. ^° We well may
as authorities do not suppose,asthescenesaroundaresostemandwildinourdays; thatinthe timesofMaidoc,theymusthavefurnishedalairforsavageanimals. Ac- cordingly, while proceeding one day towards Seanboth monastery, our saint encounteredahungrywolfontheway. Thenaturalbenignityoftheholy man had some sort of spell over the natural ferocity of that animal. It seemed to be depressed and wearied, as well as nearly famished, while it ap- proachedinasupplicatingmanner. AboyhappenedtobenearMaidoc,at the time, and he bore a loaf, with part of a fish ; these were intended, how- ever, as a meal for his master. This food the saint took and presented to the hungry wolf With some agitation, the boy declared to our saint, how he feared his master's anger, on account of parting with the provisions. Maidoc ordered leaves to be brought, which on receiving he blessed. The youth soon found them converted into a substitute for that food he had given away, while he returned thanks to God, for favours received, owing to the accomplishment of this miracle. "
boundaries,
agree regarding
Cumuscach had wantonly invaded Leinster, towards the close of the sixth century. He crossed the River Rye, which separated it from the province of Meath, and he advanced towards Bealach-Chonglais. " This is now Baltinglass, in the county of Wicklow. ^3 Near it, Brandubh, King of Leinster, resided,ataplacecalledRathbran. ^4 ThisUltonianinroadseemstohave
' In the Irish life of St. Mogue, it is called
SeAn bocliA. It is written SeAn bocAib,
in the ablative plural, by the Commentator ''"
in an ancient historical treatise, intituled,
" Borumha-Laighean. "
'3 The parish of Baltinglass is partly with- in the barony of Rathvilly, and this is shown on the ' ' Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Carlow," Sheet 4 ; while
on the Festilogy of ^ngus, preserved in
the " Laebhar Breac," at the 27th of Oc-
tober. The meaning of the name is unques-
tionably, "the old tents or booths. " This the vastly greater portion of it lies within place seems to have been so called, before
the erection of any church there.
^ See the " Annals of the Four Masters. "
Dr. O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. , pp. 228, 229, and note (p).
9 The parish of Templeshanbo, in the barony of Scarawalsh, is represented on Sheets 8, 9, 13, 14, 18, 19, of "The Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Wexford. "
'°In the "Liber Regalis Visitationis," this parish is placed in the deanery of Duffry. In the beginning of the seventeenth century, the church there had a nave and chancel. In our time, this district has been fami- liarized to the lovers of simple, quaint and humourous narrative, by a Wexford writer of undoubted talent, and having great know- ledge of national manners and customs, the late Patrick Kennedy. His book, "Even-
ings in the Duffrey," is a charming picture of Irish agricultural life. This district is said to have been the Dubthir of our ancient
is described on the
writers.
" See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nise," xxxi. Januarii. Vita S. Maidoci, cap.
xxvi. , p. 211.
" The account of these events is contained
Various raths however are found within this parish, while two very re- markable and extensive raths are to be seen at its southernmost extremity, in the vicinity
of Baltinglass.
topographical
cognizable.
the barony of Upper Talbotsto-woi, and this
"
Ordnance Survey Maps for the County of Wicklow," Sheets 26, 27, 32. ThetownlandandtoMTiproper,divided into east and west, lie on either bank of the Slaney. A very excellent account of this place will be found in Lewis' "Topogra-
phical Dictionary of Ireland," vol. i. , pp. I73> 174-
^ 'It may be Anglicized, "the Rath of Bran. " Thisfortseemstohavederivedits denomination from the celebrated Leinster king. The parish of Rathbran in the barony of Upper Talbotstown is sho^vn on the "Ord- nance Survey Maps for the County of Wick- low," Sheets 20, 21, 26, 27. The townland of Rathbran proper is represented on Sheets 20 and 21, but on these are not to be found a trace of Brandubh's ancient fort. Never- theless, the writer has be—en informed by the Rev. John F. Shearma—n who has a know- ledge of the townland that the locality of Brandubh's ancient fort is there clearly re-
548 LIVES OF 7HE IRISH SAINTS. [January 31,
been a well-planned surprise, while Brandubh, with his queen, was obliged to employ stratagem, in order to escape from the dangers impending. 'S Having attired himself in the garb of a menial, Brandubh set fire to a house, in which
Cumuscagh lodged. In order to escape the flames, dressing himself in the clothes of a satirical poet,'^ that prince climbed to the ridge-pole of an open- ing. From this position he escaped, and fled to a spot, afterwards called MonaidhCumascaigh. '7 ItwasattheendofCill-Rannairech'^green,which is now known as Kilranelagh,'9 and it is situated near Baltinglass. Here Loichine Lonn, who was Erenach of that church, and an ancestor to the O'Lonainfamily,discoveredwhothefugitivewas. ^° HethencutoffCumus- cach's head. =" The Erenach afterwards brought it to Rathbran. " There he
presented it to the King of Leinster. '^ Following the chronology of the Four Masters,"^ these events appear to have taken place in the year 593.
The death of Cumascach was soon followed by that of his father, Aedh, Monarch of Ireland. To avenge the murder of his son, and to exact the Borumha tribute^s from the Leinstermen, Aedh set out from his palace of Ailech,^^ which then occupied a most commanding position, at the head of Lough Foyle and Lough Swilly, in the northern part of Ulster. =^7 He as-
'S Cumuscagh's designs against the virtue of the Leinster queen were happily prevented. A pretext enabled her to fly from her palace for concealment, into the fastnesses of Dun- Buichet forest.
It is added, that the whole of this poem had been written, in another part of the book. But, it cannot now be found, in any known copies.
" If we are to credit that romantic history,
recording the dissolute Cumuscagh's acts, his death was not an unjust punishment for his crimes.